26 September 2025
9:22 AM
WANA (Sep 26) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, announced on Thursday, September 25, 2025, that it has closed France’s case against Iran at the country’s request.
France had filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing that Iran violated international law by detaining two of its citizens — 40-year-old Cécile Kohler and 72-year-old Jacques Paris. Iranian authorities had arrested the pair in May 2022, accusing them of spying for Israel. Paris claimed that Tehran’s actions breached its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The decision to end the proceedings came just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Following the meeting, Macron wrote on X that he had called for the release of the French nationals, while Pezeshkian said the two sides had discussed ways to resolve the matter.
According to the ICJ, Iran did not oppose France’s request to withdraw the case.
